Better Dungeon-keeping

After defeating the denizens of this cave complex, our ranks have grown; two adventurers have joined us in our efforts to investigate the evil goings-on here in the Shadowfell Keep. Max, a diminutive gnome mage, and his bodyguard, Drew, have offered their services to our party. The safe room that Balgron was apparently fleeing towards seems to be suitable as a makeshift base of operations during our campaign to clear out the evil things dwelling here. To make things diplomatic, we drew straws to determine who would remain behind to secure the room and watch the party's rear flank to ensure there are no surprises.

I "won".

This Balgron creep was not a very cleanly fellow. I should not be surprised; hobgoblins are disgusting creatures. It took me a good several hours just to clear out the filth from this hole. I was able to scour the goblin barracks for enough unsullied materials (bedding and food supplies) to make it some semblance of "livable". It certainly pales in comparison to even the lowest of accommodations, but it will have to do.

It appears that my allies are making some headway into the mysteries of the Keep itself. Not long ago, a shadowy serpent slithered its way into our hideout. Nearly scared the piss out of me, just appeared out of nowhere. Apparently, they came across some altars to my Lord Bahamut and needed some draconic translations. It was easy enough and they have successfully parleyed with a helpful spirit, a former commander of this structure and a fellow follower of the Platinum Dragon. I feel obligated now to rid this place of the evil that infests it; for his sake and for those helpless to stop it.

A brief respite

We have had little time for rest. After breaching the keep overlooking Winterhaven, our company has met several pockets of resistance, mostly from a troop of goblins seeming to have been placed by Kalarel to guard the entrance from would-be intruders. I suppose we fit that description...

Our battles have not been without levity, however. Our clever gnome rogue, Gweener, has seen fit to entertain our depraved sense of humor while at the same time confusing and frightening our enemies with gnomish tricks. The severed head of a hobgoblin was put to good use in scaring off a sizable group of goblins as well as intimidating a new addition to our ranks, a rather frightened yet suspicious goblin named Splug. We tolerate his presence for now, if only to lighten our own loads for a time.

After securing Splug's services, he directed us to the goblin leader, a most cowardly (even for goblin-kind) creature named Balgron. After offering up a small platoon of his goblin forces to our hungry blades, he fled into the darkness of the keep. In our pursuit, we plunged into the darkness and slew Balgron, only to be beset upon by hordes of giant rats, and worse. While the rats surrounded us, a giant ooze attacked from the darker recesses of the dungeon, assailing us with acid and splitting itself into yet more enemies when we attempted to kill it.

Finally, after many mighty blows from Luthor's greatsword, the cutting daggers of Gweener, and the good graces of Moradin's humble servant Fargus, we stood victorious over the now lifeless bodies of our foes. Upon inspection, we discovered a hidden safe room, presumably to which Balgron was fleeing. I believe we will take this opportunity to rest, with the assurance that we have thus far remained undetected by the ultimate foe we seek...

Region: Nentir Vale

XP Gained: quite a bit since the last update - XP Total: 1768

GP Gained: 560 GP - GP Total: Gweener is looking pretty weighed down

Into the Keep

No rest for the weary...

After felling the brutish Irontooth, we searched the kobol

d's lair. They had apparently been very active in looting the locals and travelers along the King's Road; over 400 gold pieces as well as a splendid suit of dwarven chainmail were found. However, the most interesting item we discovered was a bit of parchment addressed to Irontooth from someone by the name Kalarel.

It seems there is more afoot here than just a group of bandits raiding the outskirts of a remote town. After some brief discussion, we felt it wise to return to Winterhaven and inquire about our newly acquired information. As we made the trek back, storm clouds gathered in the north. I cannot shake the feeling that this is not a coincidence...

Our first stop was Valthrun's tower to visit its occupant, a scholar of some knowledge. It did not take much questioning for us to broach the subject of the letter and upon hearing the news, Valthrun ushered us into the tower with haste. He was not aware of anyone by the name Kalerel but was able to share with us some history of the rift mentioned in the letter. A keep was built upon the site of a portal between this plane and that of the Shadowfell, a place of darkness and evil. It seems this Kalarel is bent on re-opening that rift to terrorize the region. Valthrun urged us to stop this from happening as Winterhaven has no defenses to call upon.

We briefly stopped by Lord Padraig's residence to inform him of the situation, but he appeared to be suffering from some malaise and lethargy that was affecting the townsfolk. With no other aid apparent and time growing short, we left immediately for the Keep that Valthrun indicated being not far to the north of Winterhaven. We only hoped it would not be too late...

In its day, the Keep was probably an impressive structure; giving off the air of defense of the region, it is ironic its purpose was built to keep something in, not prevent outsiders from coming in. No defenses appeared to be present as we approached, however it seemed there had been a lot of recent activity to clear a path to a focal point where a stone stairway descended below the main level. With the storm clouds continuing to threaten outside, we forged downward into the Keep.

It did not take long to encounter some resistance inside. A small group of goblins attacked in what appeared to be a guard room, a small chamber at the foot of the stairs. They had obviously been expecting someone because they had dug a clever pit trap which poor Luthor ran right into and plunged into darkness. I suppose they did not anticipate such a massive individual such as Luthor to enter the pit as he easily escaped with an incredible display of athletics. Aside from the surprise of the pit, the goblins offered little in the way of a fight. It took only seconds for us to subdue the four of them and secure the area.

As we take stock of our surroundings, I wonder if this skirmish is only a lure to bring us deeper into darkness. What will we find in the tunnels ahead?

Region: Nentir Vale

XP Gained: ??? XP Total: 1068

GP Gained: 460 GP GP Total: Gweener tells us we have "a lot"

The Man in Charge

Before pursuing the cowardly kobold into its den, we were able to subdue one of its kin at the end of the skirmish. With equal parts intimidation and bluffing, we were able to surmise that a fairly large group of kobolds were holed up in the cave, under the command of someone named Irontooth, who was presumably not of their race. We also learned that Irontooth was not the top of the food chain and that he took orders from another known only as "the big man."

We convinced the kobold (whose name was Squeeg) that we were emissaries of "the big man" and that he was no longer pleased with Irontooth's progress in the Winterhaven area. We were sent to replace him with a "chosen one" and that Squeeg, who was the only survivor of our "test", was now to lead the kobold forces. Squeeg, ecstatic to be alive, was more than happy to play along. We bestowed upon him some of the armor of his fallen comrades, as well as the obsidian talisman we had looted earlier. Squeeg found this to be more than pleasing, and eagerly beckoned us to follow him into the cave.

No sooner had we entered the dank cavern, we were confronted by kobold sentries who obviously were waiting for us. Squeeg, feeling very confident, informed them of our business there, although they did not seem overly convinced. The sentries discussed among themselves and then demanded proof. Gweener, who had concealed himself in shadow, used his fey ability to conjure up the symbol of Orcus in flickering light to appear on Squeeg's armor as indication that he was the "chosen one." The other kobolds became increasingly alarmed and one ran off deeper into the cave to fetch help.

He returned shortly with a demand from Irontooth for a password. Without any other help from Squeeg, we tried the only option we could think of and gave the password of Orcus. Shortly after the kobold left to deliver our message, a roar from the back of the cave echoed forth and a yell of "Kill them all!" signaled that our ruse was flushed out. It was time for action!

Gweener, still hidden from sight, again called on his innate abilities and caused a torch on a nearby wall to float towards one of the cave paths and flare up into a brilliant flame that hindered any enemies coming from that direction. It also seared several of the kobolds already coming that way. We all leaped into action after watching the brilliant spectacle of light. After several of the kobold foes were quickly downed, through the harsh torch fireball we caught sight of a very ugly, brutish goblin who could only be Irontooth. Angered by the flames, Irontooth grabbed one of his own allies and flung him through the fire, burning and killing him as he flew, and his still flaming corpse smashed into Squeeg and killed him. I still feel slightly guilty about that, but only slightly...

As Gweener kept that cave opening steadily burning, we all slipped down another passage to meet the kobold forces. They came on furiously and we were hard pressed to beat them back before Irontooth joined the fray. Every ounce of our strength was needed to face him, our toughest opponent yet. His double axes cut deep against both mine and Luthor's defenses. Only by the beard of Moradin and the might of Bahamut were we able to stave off the brunt of his attacks. When all looked like we may be facing a foe too formidable, a stroke of luck graced us and three successive brutal attacks by Gweener, myself, and Luthor finally brought Irontooth down in a bloody heap.

The few remaining kobolds that still stood saw the fall of their thuggish leader and immediately tucked tail and ran. We stood there, panting after the exhausting battle, thankful for a rest and eager to search out the cave for clues to this new mystery of "the big man"...

Region: Nentir Vale

XP Gained: ??? XP Total: ???

GP Gained: ??? GP Total: ???

Outside the Enemy's Lair

The old farmer's knowledge has served us well! Sure enough, the waterfall appears to be the base of the kobold operations. No sooner did we hear the sounds of the roaring water, we caught sight of our quarry. Unfortunately for us, we are about as stealthy as a band of travelling bards for we failed to catch them by surprise. Despite that failure, we again laid waste to their meager offerings of defense. Luthor was particularly brutal, smashing foes with that greatsword of his with lethal results. Gweener again did what he does best, striking from the cover of the trees and brush.

It appeared we were to have an easy time of it, that is until the second wave of attackers revealed themselves. Several more heavily armed and armored kobolds joined the fray, striking fast and hard against the barbarian and myself. Fargus was truly commanding the power of Moradin, keeping us in good health as well as striking down a kobold slink with a bone crushing swing of his morning star. With all the available targets, I was able to put my tactical prowess to effective use, gaining the upper hand against several enemies with flanking maneuvers.

However, one of the final targets escaped the battlefield as we mopped up the last remnants of the enemy force. He fled into a crevice behind the waterfall, screaming a warning to his master, Irontooth, as he ran. It appears their lair is in a cave of sorts, and that we have stirred up a hornet's nest. We shall rest briefly and give a silent prayer to the gods to guide our blades against what may prove to be the foe we seek...

Region: Nentir Vale

XP Gained: ??? XP Total: ???

GP Gained: ??? GP Total: ???

The Gathering Storm

Something stirs near Winterhaven....

After arriving in the town, we quickly sought respite at the local tavern. It took little effort to attain information on the recent kobold activity; we even spoke with the local lord and offered our services in ridding them of this pestilence, for a price. Lord Padraig even fronted us part of the fee for doing so, they must be desperate. While gathering clues from other patrons, Fargus and I confronted a local hunter, an elven woman named Ninarin who seemed to know more than she was letting on. During our questioning, the cleric noticed a small but conspicuous tattoo on her arm, a symbol of the demon god Orcus. Flustered by our advances and questions, she fled the tavern and disappeared, even as our Gnome rogue Gweener pursued her into the streets.

After a good night's rest, we visited the local temple and spoke with one of the abbey sisters to find out if there were any word of a dark cult in the area. She seemed genuinely disturbed by our suspicions, but held no real information so we departed Winterhaven, in search of our quarry, thinking perhaps they will hold a link to this new, darker path.

On the advice of a local farmer in the tavern the night before, we struck out for a waterfall to the southeast of Winterhaven, where the kobold activity seemed to emanate from. It did not take long to find ourselves some opposition: another small band of the reptilian wretches, although more heavily armed and slightly more competent.

The fight was heated. Gweener struck from the shadows, nimbly weilding his blade and striking with deadly accurate throwing daggers. Luthor, the Goliath barbarian, viciously attacked with his greatsword, brutally smashing everything in his path. Fargus called to his god Moradin for divine guidance and smote several kobolds with brilliant light. I struck several blows with my blade and unleashed my draconic breath upon an unsuspecting group of the enemy. One of the kobolds attempted to flee, but a last concerted effort of my longsword and another deadly dagger from Gweener brought him down. Before he breathed his last, he vowed vengeance from one called Irontooth. Looting one of the corpses turned up a small talisman carved in the likeness of Orcus. An ill omen perhaps, and confirmation that there may indeed be a connection between the kobold activity and the mysterious elf huntress.

Now we continue on the road toward the waterfall, with the knowledge that perhaps our foes await us. So much for the element of surprise...

Region: Nentir Vale

XP Gained: 143 XP Total: 262

GP Gained: 1 gp 4 sp GP Total: 14 gp 12 sp 50 cp

On the Road to Winterhaven

We tasted our first victory together! Almost in sight of Winterhaven, we were set upon by a small band of kobolds. We were not taken by surprise, however, they were not especially stealthy. Both the barbarian and I destroyed our initial foes, and once the initial feint was dealt with, the remainder of the kobold forces showed themselves. Despite only traveling together for a short time, our band proved too formidable a force for these brigands. The rogue and I teamed together on several of the kobolds to good effect, while the barbarian and the cleric dispensed with the other half at our backs. It was a good fight, and our wounds were minor, nothing some rest in Winterhaven will not cure...

Region: Nentir Vale

XP Start: 0 XP Gained: 119 XP Total: 119

GP Start: 13 gp GP Gained: 8 sp 50 cp GP Total: 13 gp 8 sp 50cp